Catch(H)er
by BookishFox
Summary: Miyuki Kazuya had never really thought about girls — until he met Mira, that is. Suddenly, inexplicably, Miyuki finds himself completely head-over-heels for the girl whose smile he can't get out of his head.
1. Chapter 1

"Mira, catch!"

Just before first period, Miyuki Kazuya was standing with a few of his teammates, discussing morning practice, when a small commotion attracted his attention.

The girls of class 2B had been playing a game of catch, giggling as they tossed an apple back and forth between them. One of them, a tall, stern-faced girl whose name he couldn't quite remember had turned towards another girl, and was calling out her name. The girl in question, a slight blonde standing directly in front of him, was clearly not paying attention to the game. Her head snapped up when the apple was lobbed her direction, but she was a beat too late.

The girl fumbled, apple rolling through her outstretched fingers and falling towards the ground. On instinct, Miyuki did the thing that came most naturally to him. In one swift movement, he stooped down and caught it.

"Gosh Mira, you're such a klutz," the girl who had tossed the apple called. The rest of the girls erupted into laughter.

"Why did you even throw it to her, Takahashi? You should have known she wouldn't catch it." More laughter.

That wasn't exactly fair. Clumsy or not, the girl had clearly not known she was part of the game until she'd been thrust in the middle of it. Miyuki tensed, and then turned away from them. Snapping wouldn't change anything, even if they were being intentionally cruel. "You dropped this," he said gently to the girl in front of him.

He had expected tears. Instead, she offered him the brightest smile he'd ever seen, and his heart jumped suddenly into his throat. "Thank you," she said, taking the apple from his outstretched hand. Her smile widened, blue eyes shining, and then she was gone.

"You look like a deer caught in headlights," one of his friends joked, hands clutching at his sides as he laughed.

"You look like you've never seen a girl before," another teased.

Miyuki ignored them both. "Is she new here?" he asked.

"Dude, she's been in our class since first year. That's Mira Hayakawa."

"I've heard her father is terrifying," offered someone else.

_Hayakawa?_ The name sounded vaguely familiar. "Wasn't he a teacher here?"

"Yeah. He got fired last year, supposedly after showing up to class drunk."

Here since first year? That didn't sound right. _I would have noticed that face._ But then again, he'd never really bothered to look at the girls in school before. Lack of time, not necessarily interest. But even if he had been looking … he chanced a glance towards her seat in the back. _I'm surprised anyone knows who she is, with her face buried in those books like that._

* * *

"Miyuki."

"Hmm?"

"I've been trying to get your attention for the last five minutes. Where on earth has your brain run off to?"

It was lunch time, and they were sitting in the player dedicated dining hall located in the dorms. "What's up?"

"Coach wants to know if you can catch for one of the first year pitchers during practice this afternoon. He's thinking about moving him up to first string."

"Seriously?" Miyuki glanced across the hall, towards the clump of first years seated by themselves on the far end. Jun followed his gaze, then shook his head.

"Not the dumb one. He still isn't officially on the team. I'm talking about Furuya."

Of course. There were two promising new pitchers this year. Normally, Miyuki would be itching to try them out, but right now … he groaned and rested his head against his palm. Right now he couldn't seem to keep his thoughts straight. "Sure."

Jun nodded and left.

"Bullying really pisses me off," Miyuki muttered, rubbing his temples. _Is that what's bothering me?_ He still couldn't concentrate, and the odd tightness in his chest made it hard to breathe.

Beside him, Kuramochi snorted. "You know, that sounds pretty funny coming from you. That stunt you pulled the other day is going to have me sore all week. I don't think I've ever run so much in my life."

Miyuki shrugged. "Worth it." In any case, poking fun and bullying weren't the same thing. There were lines you just didn't cross.

"Can't you at least talk to the coach about letting him back on the team? Rooming with him is almost unbearable as it is."

"You talk to him," Miyuki said. "It's more your fault than mine. If you'd woken him up in the first place, none of this would have happened."

"You don't really think the coach means to keep him off the team permanently, do you?"

Miyuki shook his head. Coach Kataoka was tough, but he wasn't cruel. And he wasn't going to dismiss a pitcher that Rei had her sights set on so easily. "He's just trying to make a point. Sawamura might be an idiot, but he's not talentless."

Kuramochi nodded and changed the topic, but Miyuki didn't hear him. His mind had wandered again, off to a different subject entirely.

* * *

All second years had two science classes, General Physics and Chemistry, both held in the lab classroom just down the hall from homeroom. Today was Monday, which meant Physics, fourth period, just after lunch. Lab partners stayed fixed for the year, but since Mr. Akiyama preferred to let his students pick their own seats, the partners were pretty much the same as last year. Miyuki simply sat where he always had, third station from the front, on the right-hand side near the window. There were three seats per station, and he was generally joined by Kuramochi and Ono Hiroshi, a second-string player from the baseball team.

This year was different, however. Not long after they sat down, a girl approached their station and draped herself over Ono's arm. "Sit with me?"

Ono blushed heavily, but he didn't hesitate. "Can't say no to that, can I? I guess I'm moving. See ya." He stood and followed her across the room.

"I didn't realize Ono had a girlfriend," Kuramochi muttered.

Miyuki shrugged. "As long as it doesn't affect his playing, it's none of my business," he said. "Looks like we've got an empty seat now."

The empty seat was a conundrum, not because it mattered one way or another, but because he had been certain that they had had a full class. He almost looked up to see who was missing, but instead he rolled his pencil between his fingers and began doodling on the edge of his syllabus. _Whoever it is, as long as they aren't particuarly dumb or annoying, I don't care._

"Alright class, let's get started, shall we? When I call your name, please say 'here.' Adachi Reo …"

"Here!"

"Psst." Kuramochi leaned across the desk and snapped a pencil across Miyuki's forehead. "What's up with you? You've been distracted all day."

Miyuki blinked. It was true. He'd been lost in a strange sort of fog since first period, and he didn't know why. All he could think about was that girl's smile when he had returned the apple, and the odd squeezing in his chest when he had met her eyes. _What's wrong with me?_ "I —"

Suddenly, the door flew open, clanging against the metal teacher's desk and scattering a handful of papers on the ground. It was Mira.

Mr. Akiyama's lips pursed as he turned towards her, and he folded his clipboard across his chest. "Miss Hayakawa," he said, clearly annoyed. "How nice of you to join us."

She looked frazzled. Her light blonde hair was rough, untamed pieces drifting around her face as if she had been caught out in the wind, and her cheeks were flushed like she'd been running.

Kuramochi kicked him under the desk. Some sort of realization had dawned on him, judging by the clearly amused look on his face, but Miyuki certainly wasn't expecting what came out of his mouth next. "You like her," Kuramochi hissed.

"No," Miyuki whispered back. That wasn't it. That wasn't it at all. Was it? "Stop being ridiculous."

Kuramochi's smile was growing wider by the second. "And you are completely clueless," he said.

"Shh." Miyuki turned away from him, as if avoiding eye contact could distance him from this situation. Mira was still standing at the front of the classroom, clearly explaining something to Mr. Akiyama.

"I'm very sorry I'm late, sir," she said. "It won't happen again."

Mr. Akiyama's face had softened. "See that it won't. Take a seat, please." He waved a hand in the general direction of the class, and continued calling names as if he'd never been interrupted.

As fortune would have it, the seat Ono had taken had been Mira's. She took a step forward, blue eyes widening slightly, and then hurried to the only empty seat in the room — the one directly across from Miyuki. She smiled at them both when she sat down, and it was like being hit by a ball to the chest.

"Now that that is all sorted out, I'd like you turn your textbooks to page 51. We will be starting out this year with Kinematics. "

Mr. Akiyama continued for another 30 minutes before handing out their first assignment. "Now would be a good time to get to know your lab partners," he said, as if they didn't know each other already. "These will be your permanent seats for the year." There was a fluttering of papers, and the room filled with the insect-like buzz of many hushed voices. Miyuki turned to the girl sitting across from him.

"Hayakawa, right?"

She nodded, pushing a strand of long blonde hair behind an ear while she scribbled notes in her notebook. "You can call me Mira though, everyone does."

"Mira then," he repeated. "I'm —" She cut him off.

"Miyuki. I know. Everyone knows who you are."

Kuramochi smirked. "And I'm —"

"Kuramochi Youichi. I know you too."

"You must be a fan."

"Hardly," she laughed. "Honestly, I've never watched a single game. But I'd have to be pretty oblivious to not know who the baseball players are around here."

"Not even one?" Kuramochi asked. He was teasing, but there was genuine surprise on his face.

"Shhh … I'm trying to work out this problem. Whatever we don't finish in class is homework, you know."

Miyuki groaned. It wasn't that he didn't take school seriously — his grades were good enough — but sitting in class working through Physics problems was hardly the way he wanted to spend his afternoon. Then again, more homework meant less time after class, which meant less time on the field. He tapped his pencil against the desk, staring at the blank space beneath problem number one.

"You have to set 't' to zero," Mira said suddenly. She was leaning over his shoulder, close enough that he could tell her hair smelled like strawberries. Miyuki glanced towards her paper, covered in a mess of hastily scribbled calculations. She was already on question five.

"You're pretty good at this stuff, aren't you?"

"Science is my favorite subject. Especially Physics." She shrugged, and then reached forward to correct the equation on his paper. "By the way, I'm sorry about earlier. With the apple. I'm such a klutz sometimes … I didn't mean to drag you into it."

Kuramochi snorted. "That's what he does. He catches things. You didn't drag him into anything."

Miyuki rolled his eyes and ignored him. "It didn't bother me. I'm just surprised I've never met you before."

"I mostly keep to myself. I never go to any of the games. I'm not even part of any clubs. I just go straight home after school. I don't think it's really so surprising."

Miyuki didn't have anything to say to that. Instead, he nodded and changed the subject. "Why were you late to class today?"

"I …" Mira paused, the corners of her lips tugging down for a fraction of a moment, before turning upwards again into a smile. "My dad called me. He had a mini emergency, needed me to come home really fast and help him with something. My house is just around the block, so it wasn't a big deal."

_Not a big deal?_ That tiny frown said otherwise, but there was no point pushing her. He smiled back, his stomach doing some sort of strange, strangled backflip when she blushed and looked away. "That makes sense, I guess." Inwardly, Miyuki groaned. _What a lame thing to say._

Kuramochi was watching them, a poorly hidden, amused smirk twitching at the corner of his lips. Miyuki wanted to slap that stupid look right off his dumb face, but he settled for a pointed glare when he was certain Mira wasn't looking.

They worked in relative silence — broken only by Mira's occasional corrections and suggestions — for the rest of the class period. When the bell rang, signaling the end of class, Miyuki jumped to his feet. "Let me help you with that." He reached forward, toward the stack of papers on Mira's desk, and started gathering them up, one-by-one.

"I've got it, it's fine." She reached out to retrieve her notebook, and her hand collided with Miyuki's.

"Sorry!" Miyuki said. He jerked his hand back and the papers stacked on his arm teetered and fell, scattering as he scrambled to catch them. Kuramochi was laughing openly now, one hand covering his mouth and the other clutching at his side.

He dropped to his knees, sweeping the papers up into a tidy stack, and took a deep breath before standing again and handing them to Mira. She smiled back, bright blue eyes shining, and tucked them into her binder.

"I can help you after school today, if you want," she said. "With your assignment, I mean."

"I think I'll manage."

"Okay then," she replied. "I'll see you around. It was nice meeting you, Miyuki. And you, Kuramochi." She gave a little bow, notes binder hugged tight to her chest, and hurried out the door.

"Idiot," Kuramochi said once she was gone, smacking Miyuki in the side of the head.

"Ouch! What was that for?"

"A pretty girl asks you to hang out with her after class and all you can say is you 'think you'll manage?' You could have at least walked her back to homeroom, you dolt."

"She was pretty, wasn't she?"

"You're hopeless, you know that, right?"

Miyuki didn't answer. Kuramochi was right, he _was_ hopeless. And for the first time in forever, he had something other than baseball on his mind.


	2. Chapter 2

"Dad, I'm home!"

Sliding into her house slippers, Mira shut the door quietly behind her. Then she hurried to the living room, worried tension building in her chest.

Her dad was exactly where she thought he'd be, sprawled out on the couch, eyes closed, and an empty bottle of sake dangling from one hand. She knelt down beside him, checked his breathing and his pulse, and then pulled a blanket over him, tucking it gently around his unconscious form. Only then was she able to heave a sigh of relief. _Everything is okay, _she thought. _Everything is going to be okay._

It was late, so Mira went to the kitchen to make dinner. While it was cooking, she laid out her school books on the kitchen counter and got started on her homework. She had finished her Physics homework in class, but she still had a short essay to write, as well as reading homework and a journal entry for homeroom. Sighing, she pulled out a pencil and began to write.

After the rice had finished cooking and she'd taken the beef and vegetables off the stove, Mira divided the meal onto two plates. Then she seran-wrapped the first plate, slid it into the fridge, and gathered her books. She left her dad a quick note — "dinner is in the fridge" — swung her book bag over a shoulder, and took her plate upstairs to her room.

Once she had set her books out again and placed her food on a low shelf next to her desk, Mira opened her class journal. On the first page was a hastily copied prompt.

* * *

_Journal Prompt: Tell me about a challenge you've faced, and how you overcame it?_

_Answer: I remember when I was little, my mom always told me to keep smiling, no matter what. She said that my smile was the best gift I could give a person, and that joy was contagious. She told me that life would be hard, and that she couldn't promise that it would never hurt, but that if I just kept smiling, I'd be able to keep my joy, and nothing could ever take it away from me. _

_Last year, when my mom was in the hospital …_

* * *

Mira sighed and let her head drop down to the table. It felt like static had collected inside her brain, making it hard to think. Rolling her head to the side, she glanced at the photograph on her nightstand — a smiling blonde woman holding a squealing baby in her arms.

_How am I ever going to do this without you? _she thought. Mira reached out, wrapping her fingertips around the cold frame, and pulled it close to her chest.

Mira looked more like her mother than her father. Her mom had been American, and the blonde hair and blue eyes Mira had inherited from her caused no small amount of trouble. Add that to her love of science, and the fact that she was always reading, or studying, or lost in a daydream, and you had the perfect recipe for never quite fitting in.

She wasn't an outcast — not exactly. She was part of the popular group, but they treated her more like an exotic pet than a friend. She was a collector's piece, a curiosity, a zoo exhibit — but never a person.

Things had gotten significantly worse last year, of course. Before, she had just been "That Blonde Girl," and "The Clumsy One," and "That Girl With Her Nose Always in a Book." But now she could add, "The Girl Whose Father Had Been Fired Because He Was a Drunk," to her long list of titles.

The teasing wasn't always obvious, and it was usually easier to pretend she didn't notice. She would smile and laugh, and act like the jokes were just as funny to her as they were to everyone else.

But today had been different. For the first time since she could remember, someone had spoken to her like she was normal. Like maybe she was a person after all. "I wish you could have seen his smile," she said, hugging the picture tighter.

Mira stood and set the picture back on her nightstand.

"Good night Mom," she whispered, placing a kiss on the smiling woman's cool, glass paneled face. "I miss you."

* * *

Practice had been long and hard, but it had cleared his brain somewhat. Mira's smile was still buzzing around back there, in the recesses of his mind, but he could think now, more or less. He just had to keep himself occupied.

"Your turn."

Miyuki glanced down. Yuuki Tetsuya was still terrible at shogi, but that move wasn't half bad. "You sure you want to make that play?" Miyuki asked. He was bluffing, but he couldn't stop a wicked grin from spreading across his face.

Yuuki didn't flinch. If nothing else, he was great at keeping a straight face. "You're only saying that because you are afraid you're going to lose," he replied. "Just make your move."

Miyuki snorted. "Lose against you? In your dreams."

He was just about to place his next piece when the door opened, and Kuramochi came charging in. "I swear," he said, "if I have to deal with that idiot for one more minute, I'm gonna kill him."

"Ever heard of knocking?"

Kuramochi ignored him. Instead, he started pacing, back and forth, back and forth, until Miyuki knew someone was about to be killed — and it wasn't going to be Sawamura. "Please ask the coach to let him back on the team. I'm begging you," Kuramochi said.

Miyuki rolled his eyes. "I told you to ask him yourself," he said. "Or ask Tetsu to talk to him — he is the captain after all. Leave me out of it."

Across from him, Yuuki shook his head. "The coach will let him back on the team when he's ready," he said. "Leave me out of it too."

"Your roommate, your problem," Miyuki added.

Kuramochi sighed and dropped onto one of the beds, clearly defeated. He was silent for a few minutes, but then he turned to Yuuki with a smile that made Miyuki's skin crawl. "Did you hear?" he asked, "Miyuki's got a crush."

Across the room, one of Miyuki's roommates laughed. "Seriously? I didn't think you thought about anything other than baseball. I didn't even realize you noticed girls."

Miyuki remained silent. It was true he'd never really thought about girls that way — partly because he'd been too absorbed in baseball, and partly because he had intentionally kept his distance. Other than Rei and the team managers, the only girl Miyuki had had much contact with was his mother. And she had left.

"Who?" his other roommate asked.

"Mira Hayakawa. She's in our class."

Miyuki gritted his teeth. This wasn't something he wanted to talk about. Not here, not now. Not when he wasn't even sure how he felt himself yet.

"Good luck with that," his roommate said, still laughing. "She's never had a boyfriend, though most of the guys in our school have asked. Miyuki might have a chance though, girls are always swarming all over him —"

Miyuki cut him off. "Leave me alone," he said, voice harsh.

"Come on man, we're just having fun."

"I said, leave me alone."

"It's not a big deal," Kuramochi said. "Calm down."

Miyuki pounded his fist onto the desk and stood. "Just shut up," he snapped. Before anyone could say anything else he left, slamming the door behind him on his way out.

It was cold outside, just cold enough that he could see his breath, illuminated by a nearby street light. He'd been too angry to think of grabbing a coat, but he wasn't about to go back inside now. _I just need a little fresh air to clear my head, _he thought. Shoving his hands into his pockets, he started to walk.

He made one full lap around the dorms before finally coming to a halt. After a moment spent staring blankly at the dim light of the vending machines, he pressed his back against the wall and slid down to the ground. _What am I even doing? _

It was rare for him to ever get truly angry, and to be this worked up because his friends had been teasing him about a girl was ridiculous at best. He knew they'd meant well … so why had it made his blood boil? Why had he stormed out of there? And why was he wandering around alone in the dark? _It's because they were asking questions I'm not ready to answer yet, _he thought. But it was more than that.

He had tried to ignore it all day. Mixed in with the butterflies, with that odd breathlessness, was another feeling. A cold clenching in his stomach. A tight bubble of anxiety in his chest. He hadn't felt this way in a long time — not since he was little, in fact. When it came right down to it, he'd been angry because he was afraid.

And yet … despite that fear, he wanted to see her again. _More than anything, I just want to talk to her again, _he thought. _I want to get to know her. I want _… _what do I want?_

"You forgot your coat," Yuuki said, approaching from the direction of Miyuki's room. He dropped the coat on Miyuki's lap.

"Thanks."

"May I?" Yuuki asked, gesturing to the ground. When Miyuki nodded, Yuuki dropped down to the ground beside him. For awhile, neither of them spoke.

"Is it worth getting to know someone if they just end up leaving you in the end?" Miyuki asked, breaking the silence.

"Would it be better to go through your entire life having never truly cared about someone else, just because you were too afraid to take the risk?" Yuuki asked back.

Closing his eyes, Miyuki let his head fall back against the wall. "That's the question, isn't it?" he murmured, half to himself. The truth was, he didn't really know the answer.

"Mira Hayakawa, huh? You've got good taste."

Miyuki smiled, opening his eyes to stare up at the stars glimmering dimly above. "She's beautiful, isn't she?" he said. Yuuki laughed in response. "It seems silly, I mean, I barely know her. We spoke a little during Physics, but beyond that, she's a complete stranger to me. So why can't I get her out of my head?"

"That's just how it happens sometimes," Yuuki said with a shrug.

"It was more than that though," Miyuki replied. "When she smiled at me I …" he trailed off, eyes staring out at something far in the distance. "It was like I knew her. Like she wasn't a stranger after all. I saw myself in that smile."


	3. Chapter 3

Author's note: To anyone who has been anxiously waiting for the next chapter (probably no one, but hey, a girl can dream, right?) I'm really sorry it has taken so long! Originally I'd planned on writing about a chapter a week (ha!), but between freelance writing projects and working on my own original work and … well … life, writing and editing this chapter has really drug on. The good news is that it's a long one! So there's that. Thank you to everyone who is reading this story. It may take a while for me to get new chapters up, but know that I'm planning on sticking this one out for the long haul. I have too many great things planned for this story to abandon it!

* * *

Mira woke to the jarring buzz of her alarm clock. It was 5 o'clock in the morning, and the sun had just begun to reach over the top of the Tokyo skyline.

She slapped the alarm off with the palm of her hand and rolled over, pulling the covers over her head and squeezing her eyes shut tight. After several minutes of hiding, Mira slid her feet to the floor and climbed out of bed.

It was chilly in the house, and she pulled a sweater on over her pajamas before heading to the bathroom to get ready. When she had finished, she fastened her hair in a loose braid and hurried downstairs.

Her dad was still asleep on the couch, stretched out beneath the blanket she had tucked around his shoulders. "Dad, breakfast," she said and shook him gently. When he started to stir she let him be, and continued to the kitchen to start the tea kettle and get breakfast ready.

By the time breakfast was finished, her dad had rolled off the couch and seated himself at the table. His eyes were bloodshot, but he was sober — a fact made clear when he smiled at her across the table. He rarely smiled when he was drunk.

"Morning kiddo," he said. "You're up early."

"I had a late shift last night, and I was too tired to finish my homework," Mira replied as she placed a plate in front of him, "so I wanted to finish it up before class."

His smile faded, but he didn't comment. Instead, he thanked her for the food and started eating.

Mira knew her father hated that she worked — though whether it was from an old-fashioned ideal of women belonging in the home, or because he felt plagued by the guilt of being unable to hold down a job himself, she could never tell. It was the former he harped on the most, but most likely it was some combination of both.

"Could you help me with my English essay this morning?" Mira asked after several minutes of eating in silence.

English was the subject he had taught, back when he'd worked as a teacher at Seido. Mira rarely needed the help — her mother had been a native English speaker, after all — but she could see the joy on her father's face when she asked him, and it gave them something to do together.

His face softened, and a small smile spread across his lips. "Of course, sweetheart."

While her father cleared the breakfast table, Mira dashed upstairs to grab her work. She was back a moment later, a collection of books under one arm and a stack of papers in her hand. Her dad ruffled her hair as he sat down, and tapped a pen across his lips as he examined the essay prompt.

This was good. It felt … normal … almost. If she closed her eyes, she could almost imagine her mom, sitting here at the table with them, laughing just like always. There would be pancakes on the table, maybe with scrambled eggs and a pot of rice that no one but her dad would touch. He'd sit at the table and help her with her homework until 7:30, and then they'd pack up and leave for school together.

They worked until the grandfather clock in the hallway finished its seventh chime. Mr. Hayakawa stood and looked at his watch. "Looks like it's about time for you to go, kiddo," he said. He ruffled her hair one last time and then disappeared upstairs, his footsteps fading until she was completely alone.

It was still a little too early to head to Seido, but Mira stood anyway, gathering her homework into a pile on her arm. A paper slid out of the stack, fluttering to the floor. "Typical," she muttered and bent down to pick it up.

It was Physics homework, but the handwriting scrawled beneath each problem wasn't her own — and the name scribbled across the top confirmed it. The paper belonged to Miyuki. _He must have accidentally mixed up our assignments when he dropped them yesterday, _she thought. She hesitated, and then shoved it into her bag. If she hurried, she'd be able to catch him coming off the practice fields on his way to class.

Most mornings, Mira didn't bother to ride her bike. Seido was an easy walk from her house, and she enjoyed the relative quiet. It was a nice break — a time to take a few deep breaths and declutter her brain. Since she was in a hurry, however, she unlocked her bike from the rack in front of their home and swung up onto the seat. Less than five minutes later, she had arrived.

The practice fields were situated right next to the school and connected by a short pathway. She parked her bike out front and jogged down the path until she found a bench to wait on.

The sun was up now, but the air hadn't warmed — not by much anyway. Mira rubbed her hands together and then nervously smoothed the front of her skirts, before shoving her fists into the pockets of her sweater and swinging her feet to warm up her legs.

"Mira?"

Miyuki was standing in front of her, surprise written clearly across his face. Beside him, Kuramochi had halted as well, though she couldn't tell if that conspiring smile was more surprised or amused. She had been so busy watching the dust clouds swirling around her kicking feet, she hadn't noticed them approach.

"I … I accidentally picked up your Physics homework," she said, words tumbling out of her mouth in a rush. Jumping to her feet, Mira fumbled through her bag until she'd found the paper in question and slid it out. Her hands were shaking, she realized, and though she took a deep breath to try and calm her nerves, the trembling paper held aloft in her hand seemed to betray every quavering heartbeat. She gulped and stared down at the ground — _anywhere _but his face.

"You could have just given this to me in class this morning," Miyuki replied slowly. Kuramochi threw him a scathing glare. "But … um … thank you for taking the trouble." When he reached out and took the paper, she was surprised to see that his hand was shaking as well. "Would you like to walk with us?"

Who knew that such a simple question had the power to turn her stomach inside-out? "I'd love to," she mumbled, turning her face away so they couldn't see the blush that was climbing steadily across her cheeks. Luckily, neither boy seemed to notice.

The sidewalk was just wide enough for the three of them to walk abreast — Mira in the middle and the two boys on either side. Miyuki was walking close enough that his arm just grazed her shoulder, and she could feel the warmth of it through the fabric of her coat. Her cheeks were still burning, and it was all she could do to keep stride with them without tripping over her feet. _What's going on with me? _she wondered. She hadn't felt this way since … well, since ever. _Is this what it feels like to like a boy? _Chancing a peek at him, she frowned and shook her head. _No. That's not it. That couldn't_ _be it._ Still though, she couldn't stop her cheeks from burning even hotter.

The boys were having a heated conversation, chatting animatedly about something baseball-related that she didn't quite understand. She listened anyway, nodding and smiling, but as they approached the school, something else caught her attention.

Everyone was staring at her. Well … not _staring _exactly, but they _were_ looking her direction, and whispering rather pointedly. Snatches of conversation drifted to her ears as they passed by.

"Did you see?" one girl muttered, feigning a whisper, but speaking loudly enough that Mira could hear her clearly as she walked by.

"Who does she think she is?" another hissed.

Mira's steps faltered. She was about to turn around and walk the other way, when the weight of Miyuki's hand on her shoulder stopped her.

"You okay?" he asked, slowing his steps to match her sudden change in pace. To her left, Kuramochi slowed as well.

Judging by their expressions, neither boy had noticed a thing. They both appeared concerned, however, and Mira painted a smile over the anxiety stretched tight across her face. "I'm fine," she said, and then quickly changed the subject. "Did you finish all your homework?"

"Everything that was due today," Miyuki answered. "You?"

Mira nodded. "I had to get up pretty early to finish our English essay, but I'm all done."

They walked for a few more minutes in awkward silence before Miyuki attempted breaking it again. "Nice weather today," he said. "We'll probably get to go outside for P.E."

_Right. _Mira had almost forgotten it was Tuesday, which meant Physical Education, second period. On top of the dedicated baseball fields — which were only for team practice — Seido also had a separate field for classes and other club sports, as well as an indoor facility. Mira groaned aloud.

"Not a sports person, I take it?" Miyuki asked, laughing.

"You saw me yesterday with that apple. I'm completely hopeless."

"I'm not going to pretend that there isn't some natural skill involved," Miyuki said, "but anyone can learn to be proficient with the basics." He shrugged. "I wouldn't call it hopelessness so much as lack of practice."

They had arrived at homeroom, and Mira gave both boys a small smile before waving goodbye and splitting off to her seat in the back.

Takahashi was waiting for her. "Why were you walking to class with Miyuki?" she asked as Mira approached. She was perched on Mira's desk like a strange kind of sentinel, and though her smile was innocent enough, there was steel in her eyes.

"He's my lab partner, and —"

"And what? That makes you think he's your friend?" She leaned forward, blocking Mira's chair so she couldn't sit down.

Takahashi had been Mira's friend — her _best _friend, some might say — for as long as she could remember. It had always been a strained friendship though, and Takahashi never failed to make it known who called the shots. _She _was the popular one, after all, and Mira was _lucky_ she'd been allowed to stand in her circle.

Mira didn't get a chance to reply. The bell rang, filling the empty space between them, and students immediately began filing back towards their seats. Takahashi glanced over her shoulder at their homeroom teacher, and then slid off Mira's desk without further comment.

Mira sat down too. _No, _she thought in response to Takahashi's question, though it was too late now. _I didn't think that. Not at all. _She let out a deep breath and buried her head in her arms.

* * *

Miyuki had been right. Due to the nice weather, Mr. Tanaka had decided to take their class to the outdoor tennis courts behind the gymnasium for a doubles tournament. Glancing over his shoulder at Kuramochi, he grinned. _Winning this is going to be cake, _he thought. Kuramochi grinned back.

"Does everyone have a partner?" Mr. Tanaka asked.

Miyuki scanned the crowd. There was an odd number of students in their class, meaning one unlucky person would end up being partners with Mr. Tanaka — which wasn't objectively a bad thing, considering their physical education teacher was probably a better player than most of the students here — but no one wanted to be the person whom nobody picked. Miyuki had been on the receiving end of that slight — years ago, but still — and it wasn't a fun place to be.

He was about to turn back to Kuramochi when a spot of bright blonde hair caught his attention. At the edge of the courts, Mira was standing by herself, scuffing her foot aimlessly against the grass.

Miyuki leaned towards his teammate and jabbed him in the side. "Remember that favor you owe me?"

"What do you want?"

"Would you mind partnering up with Mr. Tanaka today?"

Kuramochi frowned. "You're ditching me?" Following Miyuki's gaze, he rolled his eyes. "Sure, whatever," he said. "Go be the hero."

Mira didn't seem to notice him as he approached. Her eyes were on the ground, and her arms were wrapped around her waist, almost as if she were hoping — if she just squeezed hard enough — that she'd disappear entirely.

"Hey," Miyuki said, swallowing the lump that had appeared in his throat, and then continuing in a voice that sounded considerably less confident than he'd expected. "Do you have a partner?"

She jumped at the sound of his voice, and her head snapped up. For a moment, she didn't say a word, but then she shook her head slowly and put on a forced smile. "No," she replied. "It's fine, though. I'm used to it."

"Would you like to team up with me?" His voice had returned to normal, and he almost sighed in relief. That breathlessness was unnerving.

"I suck at sports, remember?"

Miyuki shrugged. "I don't mind. Believe it or not, I'm not great at tennis myself."

That seemed to shock her, and for a moment she appeared to teeter between disbelief and amusement. "Really?"

"Really. Partners?" He held out his hand.

She hesitated, but finally she reached and took his hand. "Sure. Why not?" she said with a shrug.

The tournament was set up to be standard single elimination. Mr. Tanaka passed around a bowl full of folded strips of paper - a number written on each one - to all the teams. Miyuki waved Mira ahead when the bowl came their way, and when she fished out a number two, she groaned aloud.

"Don't want to go first?" Miyuki asked, unable to keep the amusement out of his voice.

Mira shook her head. "Not at all," she said. Then she smiled weakly and added, "honestly I was hoping we wouldn't have to go today at all … and then I was going to pray for rain."

She laughed, but her face was tight and faintly green. "That bad, huh?" Miyuki replied. She nodded. "You'll do fine. Just follow my lead."

There were two courts altogether, which meant teams one through four would be playing first. After picking up a pair of rackets, Miyuki joined Mira at the court on the left. Directly across from them, Kuramochi raised his racket and smirked.

_Great. _Under normal circumstances, Miyuki would be thrilled to be facing Kuramochi first, but now … he snuck a glance at the girl beside him. She was still a little green, and her lips were pressed together in a thin, hard line.

"Are you ready?" he asked.

"I ... think so."

She was holding the racket all wrong. For a moment, Miyuki considered letting it slide, but instead, he held up his hand to pause the game and trotted over. "Like this," he said, holding his racket out for her to see.

She fumbled with the racket, sliding her hands until they more closely resembled his own. It was still wrong, however, and he shook his head and took a step closer.

"Here." Catching her hands in his, he readjusted her grip. Her skin was softer than he'd expected, and she smelled faintly of vanilla. Swallowing, he continued. "This should work better," he said gently.

"Thank you." She was blushing, wide-eyes focused downward on their hands, and suddenly Miyuki realized just how close he was standing. His breath caught.

Across the net, Kuramochi cleared his throat. "You two ready or what?"

Miyuki jumped back with a start. Mira looked startled too, but the tension she'd been holding all period seemed to be gradually releasing from her shoulders. She gave him a hesitant smile and raised her racket.

Miyuki grinned back. "Good luck, partner."

Mr. Tanaka served first. The ball flew over the net and bounced once on Miyuki's side of the court. "Got it!" he called. Lining himself up, Miyuki swung hard, striking the ball dead center in the sweet-spot on the racket.

"What the hell are you doing?" Kuramochi shouted. "This is tennis, not baseball, you dumbass!" The ball sailed up over the court's mesh walls and out of sight. Beside him, Mira collapsed in a fit of laughter.

"That was a warm-up swing," Miyuki muttered, though Mira's laughter made it impossible not to smile.

"Hope we brought enough balls," Kuramochi responded, "because if that was a warm-up, the rest are going to end up halfway across Tokyo."

"At least I actually hit the thing. Let's see you do better."

Kuramochi's face soured. "Alright," he snapped back. "Hit this."

The game continued for quite some time. For the most part, the ball volleyed back and forth between the three boys while Mira hung back, eyes wary. When Kuramochi lobbed an easy ball on Mira's side of the court, however, Miyuki stepped back, hands raised.

"It's all you!" he called.

Her form was off, but the swing landed. The ball dropped just over the net, bouncing a couple times before rolling to a standstill. For a moment nobody moved. Then Mira's face split into a smile.

She looked like she'd just hit a home-run, and the last of her tension dropped away. "That was perfect," Miyuki said. Mira beamed back at him.

"Lucky hit," Kuramochi grumbled, but his smirk had softened into a lazy half-smile and he flashed her a thumbs up. "We're still going to win this thing though, so don't get too cocky."

The game continued. It was strange how at ease he felt, playing tennis with her. He'd expected to make a fool of himself in some fashion — he couldn't seem to think straight when she was standing close to him, after all — but this was different. It was easy. And though they weren't anywhere close to winning, it felt right. Miyuki smiled.

It was Kuramochi's turn to serve, and the ball pelted over the net, strong and fast, straight towards Mira.

"Heads up!" Miyuki called, glancing over his shoulder. She wasn't paying attention. Her eyes were unfocused, her thoughts clearly elsewhere, and by the time she noticed the ball sailing her direction, there wasn't even time to duck. It struck her mid-forehead, before bouncing away. She stumbled, slightly dazed, and then doubled over with a groan, palm pressed against her scalp.

"Sorry!" Kuramochi called from across the net. Beside him, Mr. Tanaka held up his hand to pause the game.

"Are you okay?" Miyuki asked. He dropped his racket and trotted over.

Mira nodded. "That was silly," she joked, straightening up. She forced a smile. "I guess I should have hit it with my racket, not my head."

"Let me see." As gently as he could, he pushed her hair back to examine her face. The skin where the ball had hit was pink and warm to the touch, but there wasn't any swelling — at least not yet. "There might be a little bruising," he said, "but put some ice on it and you'll be fine. You're lucky that wasn't a baseball."

Ducking under the net, Mr. Tanaka joined them. "Do you feel dizzy at all?" he asked.

"No," Mira said. "I feel fine."

Mr. Tanaka hesitated. "That was a hard hit," he said slowly. "I'd feel better if you went to get some ice from the nurse's office."

Mira shook her head. "I'm not that fragile. I want to finish the game."

There was resolve in her voice, and a stubbornness that Miyuki hadn't expected. "Let her play, sir," Miyuki said. "I'll take her to get some ice myself when we are finished."

They lost, of course. After they had gathered up the loose balls and put their rackets away, Miyuki wished Kuramochi good luck in the next game, and headed with Mira back towards the school.

"How are you feeling?" Miyuki asked as they mounted the stairs and headed through the front doors.

"Fine," she said, sounding a bit exasperated. "Just a little sore."

"You looked deep in thought. What were you thinking about?"

"When I decided to use my face as a racket, you mean?" Mira replied. Miyuki nodded. "Nothing," she muttered, and then added, "it's kind of embarrassing, really."

"I won't laugh."

"Everyone does."

"Try me."

"I was wondering how the spin caused by the racket affected the ball's trajectory," she said slowly. "And that's probably the nerdiest thing you've heard anyone say all day."

"So? What's wrong with that?" She looked up, clearly startled by his response. Miyuki just shrugged. "I think it's cool that you have something you're passionate about."

"Thanks for that."

They had arrived at the nurse's office. Reaching forward, Miyuki opened the door and followed her inside.

The interior of the nurse's office was cold and sterile. There was nothing decorating the countertop, and the old nurse sitting behind it looked permanently grim. She pushed her glasses up her nose, closed something on her computer, and straightened the papers on her desk before standing to greet them.

"How can I help you?" she asked.

"We had a little accident over in P.E.," Miyuki said. "We'd like an ice pack."

The nurse peered at them over her glasses and then sighed. "What did you do this time, Miss Hayakawa?"

"Um … got hit in the head by a tennis ball?" Mira mumbled, pointedly looking anywhere but at the nurse.

Clearly, the nurse recognized her, which made him wonder just how many times she had managed to wind up in here. She had described herself as klutzy … and maybe she hadn't been exaggerating.

The nurse grumbled something unintelligible and motioned Mira over to one of the raised beds in a back room. "Sit down," she said. "Let's take a look."

Miyuki hesitated at the door, unsure whether he should follow or head back to class. "Well don't just stand there like an idiot," the old nurse snapped. She jerked her head toward a chair sitting against the wall, across from the bed Mira was seated on.

The room felt smaller, somehow, sitting on the chair across from her. It was harder to concentrate, now that there was nothing in particular to concentrate on. He'd been doing fine while the action was going — talking to her and interacting like everything was completely normal. But now that they were just sitting here, practically alone and with nothing to distract him from the odd nervousness that had settled in his stomach … he tugged on the collar of his shirt and leaned forward, resting his forearms across his knees.

The exam didn't take longer than five minutes. Mira was fine, the old nurse said, while grumbling under her breath that she needed to be more careful.

"Thank you," Mira said, hopping down from the bed and pressing the ice to her forehead. Miyuki stood as well and followed her through the door.

They stopped just outside. The hallway was empty — class wouldn't be out for another 15 minutes — and Miyuki felt that peculiar nervousness creep up out of his stomach and into his throat.

"You didn't have to stay with me, you know," Mira said, breaking the silence. "But thank you. I'm glad you did." She glanced around the empty hallway and frowned. "So what now?"

"There's really no point going back to class since it's almost over," Miyuki replied, grateful to be talking again. Anything was better than silence. He took a deep breath and shrugged, shoving the nervousness back down into his stomach and firmly ignoring it. "We might as well just wait over by homeroom for 3rd period to start."

Mira nodded in response and followed him back to their classroom. The door was locked, so they sat down on the cold tile just outside to wait until their third-period teacher showed up. "Have you filled out your career plan yet?" Miyuki asked, just to break the silence again. He hadn't — in fact, most of his friends hadn't either — not because he didn't know what he wanted to do, but because it was only the second day of school and the plan wasn't due for months. Mira, however, nodded emphatically.

"I filled mine out last night," she said, grinning. He could hear excitement creeping up over the edges of her voice, and her eyes seemed to shine more than normal.

"And?"

She hesitated and then shrugged. "I don't want to bore you," she answered slowly.

"I wouldn't have asked if I thought I'd be bored."

That seemed to surprise her. "I want to be a researcher," she said quickly, words tumbling out of her mouth in a rush. Her face had lit up entirely. "My dad thinks I'm ridiculous. He'd like it if I focused on getting a rich husband and settling down … or something like that."

"And you?"

"I want to go to college, and then eventually get a job as a scientist somewhere, doing something that really makes a difference."

He couldn't help but smile, watching her talk. For a moment, Miyuki wondered if this was what he looked like when he was talking about baseball. No, he decided. Her passion was on a completely different level. She was talking about changing lives. She smiled — lips curving, eyes shining. And he couldn't look away.

_Is it worth getting to know someone if they just end up leaving you in the end? _he wondered again. He still wasn't sure, but maybe Yuuki had been right. Maybe it was worth the risk.


End file.
